The assembly with the rest of your peers soon dissipated after the sweet encounter of delicacies. Standing outside the cozy ice cream parlor with the rest of your friends, if you could call them that, with bags swung over shoulders, the gang was ready to head on home.

The sun hadn't been as bright as it was before, earlier on in the afternoon, though it was still faintly present, concealing itself behind the puffy clouds. The welcoming wind swished by gracefully, the tips of your [color] hair softly dancing along with it.

"I.. I think we can all agree that we had fun today, right?" Nagisa calmly spoke with a gentle smile, content filling his tone of voice.

"Yeah!" You and Kaede both chimed in unison, the latter being more energetic about it, while Karma let out a suppressed chuckle as he covered his mouth.

"It's a shame that this day couldn't have lasted even longer~" Karma commented rather easily with his default grin.

"Which directions are you guys heading? East for me..." Kaede pointed over to her right, scanning the others in her search for walking-home buddies.

Unfortunately, you were unable to join her, as you lived towards western side of where the parlor was situated. "Sorry, Kaede-san... My house is that way." You signaled at the opposite direction, bowing your head somewhat apologetically, in hope that she received the message.

"Hm? Surprise~ Likewise for me, [Name]-san." Karma pitched in, almost sounding amused by the fact that you were going to amble home together.

"A-Ah, well, don't worry, Kayano-chan. I'll be walking with you, by the looks of it." Nagisa nodded, confirming that his destination was located toward the east. "But... Karma-kun, isn't your house--"

The redhead immediately interrupted him, a foreign look of surprise on his features. "Eh? What was that, Nagisa-kun? I'm sure you're mistaken." he shrugged, with another low laugh. "Anyways, see you guys."

"Take care, Karma-kun, [Name]-chan!" Kaede waved, before marching forwards with Nagisa by her side.

After the goodbyes and farewells commenced, you awkwardly began to pace the other way, feeling your heartbeat quicken from pure fear of walking with Karma. Kaede or Nagisa would have been a safer alternative, though fate seemed to disagree. On the bright side, he appeared fairly relaxed with you-- perhaps you weren't going to get caught in a mess and die, after all.

Despite Kaho's warnings about him, he might not have been so bad at first glance, apart from his teasing nature. Kaede and Nagisa's friendliness proved so. You couldn't help but to wonder how you would have perceived the mischievous boy if you hadn't been fed with rumors and miscellaneous gossip during the past.

Speaking of Kaho, your thoughts drifted off to your pal in 3-C. It may have been rude to say so, but you were honestly enjoying the company of the friends you hung out with today far more in comparison to her. With your classmates in 3-E, you felt more homely at ease, and included as a member of the class-- even if it was the dumpsite, 'peasant' class of Kunugigaoka.

"Hey, [Name]-san? [Nameeeee]-san?"

You blinked, only to see an outstretched hand gesticulating in front of you. Were you spacing out? You weren't entirely sure. In fact, you were too busy drowning in your train of thought to even be conscious of the reminder that you were with the troublemaker. "E-Eh?"

Karma's lips tugged up into another smirk after he successfully captivated your attention. "That's not very nice of you, [Name]-san. I've called your name for several minutes now." he sighed, countenance softening as if he was genuinely hurt.

Your eyes dilated at his statement, hastily scrambling for the right words to say in response, afraid of what he may do next. "Oh--! I-I... I'm sorry, Karma-kun!" You mentally slapped yourself for not knowing what else to say. In a feeble, almost etiolated attempt, you quietly added, "Please don't hurt me..."

You felt like an idiot for saying that.

"'Please don't hurt me'?" Karma repeated your words scornfully with a wry smile, his eyes lighting up with merriment as he chortled. "Hah... [N-Name]-san, that's surprisingly cute coming from you. Are you scared of me?"

You froze up again, sweat beading on your forehead from the anxiety of the inquiry. "Y-Yes? I mean... no, um."

He gestured with his hand to dismiss the the query, sounding rather pleased with your response. "Glad you're being honest-- you have every right to feel fear. Surely, with this, I'll become an evil bureaucrat~"

You could have sworn that at that moment, he cracked a cunning smile as devilish horns materialized on the top of his head, blending in perfectly with his already bright red streaks.

"[Name]-san... I'd assume that you're zoning out pretty often, yeah? You shouldn't overthink things too much. It isn't healthy for you~" Karma simply shrugged, enveloped in a nonchalant aura as he voiced his counsel.

You nodded, mellowly murmuring in reply. "I'll try." You never thought that Karma Akabane harbored a more caring side, though it was evident at that moment, along your journey back home.

"Good." Unexpectedly, his extended arm reached over to your head, giving it a brief, warm pat with ease, thanks to your smaller stature. You found it unfair that males were generally taller. "To be honest, I'm just looking out for a colleague."

Your smooth [color] eyes were relatively downcast, experiencing nervousness as his tender palm and fingers made contact with your [color] hair. "Thanks," you mumbled, to be polite.

You eventually halted in your tracks in front of your house, the partnership ending once you arrived at the serene neighborhood you grew up in. "Karma-kun, I'll have to stop here."

Karma paused as well, nodding as he looked down from the top of your stable roof to the grass up front, catching a clear glimpse of your residence as he eyed the address plate, which additionally spelled out [Last Name] in thin, capital lettering.

"See you tomorrow, then-- if I bother showing up, that is."